Chink-a-chink

Objects most commonly used for the trick are wine corks, dice, bottle caps, brass weights, and coins.

A version using coins that are covered by cards is a variation on the same concept, known as "Matrix", credited to the magician Al Schneider.

Sean McWeeney, the author of the first dedicated e-book on chink-a-chink, demonstrated that the trick is much older than was previously thought, with a history stretching back to at least early/mid-19th-century Germany.

The trick was famously covered in Edwin Sach's seminal book Sleight of Hand in 1877, utilizing four sugar cubes.

Leo Horowitz perpetuated Malini's version while adding refinements of his own, using covered sugar cubes of a type popular in supper clubs and night spots in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

Pre-fabricated chink-a-chink sets are available on order from various magic-makers, including Auke van Dokkum of the Netherlands, François Danis of France and Jim Riser of the US.

Professional magicians, however, generally prefer the traditional "found objects" (such as corks and bottle caps) to the artificial ones, reducing demand for the purpose-built sets.

When the pile is completely constructed, one object is still in the magician's hand, which is then pocketed or simply dropped in their lap.

[7] Fellow magician Karrell Fox suggested calling the trick "Al-ternating Coins"; however, Schneider decided on "Matrix" due to his math background.